About

The Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGATA) develops, protects and promotes the organic seed trade and its growers, and assures that the organic community has access to excellent quality organic seed, free of contaminants and adapted to the diverse needs of local organic agriculture.

Our Work.

We are working to:

• Defend a farmer’s right to save and trade seed
• Encourage the viability of regional organic seed companies
• Promote the right to farm, protected from GMO contamination
• Ensure the right to true choice in the marketplace for farmers and consumers
• Create protocols for testing seed quality and to maintain seed integrity.
• Protect farmer developed varieties
• Develop and support organic seed standards
• Encourage National Organic Program rules toward 100% organic seed

Background
The creation of a healthy organic seed trade is paramount to the success of the National Organic Program (NOP). Organic farmers require quality organic seed in order to meet NOP guidelines, but more importantly, to maximize the overall integrity and success of their organic system. At the onset of the organic rule (October, 2002), a clear lack of organic seed quantity and quality required the NOP to develop an exemption for the use of organic seed. While the exemption is necessary at present, no farmer should lack the seed best suited for their production and market.

Additionally, organic seed systems face risks from transgenic contamination, with many unanswered questions and concerns such as who should be responsible for testing organic seed for the presence of contamination. The promotion and development of a vibrant organic seed trade will result in the manifestation of seed systems suited to the ecological, economic, local, and sustainable challenges and needs of organic farming.

Today our membership is comprised of organic farmers who produce seed crops, organic seed breeders, organic seed companies, and affiliate organizations and non-voting associate members composed of colleagues that support organic farmers and organic seed systems. We believe that we need healthy partnerships in which the organic community invests in organic seed systems that:

• Encourage the viability of responsive, regional, organic seed companies
• Provide organic farmers with 100% of their organic seed needs
• Improve the genetic diversity of agricultural crops
• Protect and promote farmers’ rights to save and trade seed